(CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) MORNING, FACE. GOSH, YOU'VE AGED, HAVEN'T YOU? 'I'M TV JOURNALIST ANGELA RIPPON, AND I'M NOW 71 YEARS OLD.' I SUPPOSE THE FIRST TIME I REALLY STARTED THINKING ABOUT MY AGE WAS ON MY 70TH BIRTHDAY. THAT DOESN'T HALF CONCENTRATE THE MIND. I'M DR CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN. I'M HALF ANGELA'S AGE. I'M 36, AND IT'S PERFECTLY POSSIBLE TO GET TO MY AGE WITHOUT EVER CONSIDERING WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE TO BE OLD. WE HAVE VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON AGEING. BUT WE BOTH WANT TO KNOW HOW TO SLOW IT DOWN. IF I'M GOING TO LIVE TILL I'M 90, IF YOU'RE GOING TO LIVE TILL YOU'RE 90, HOW CAN WE GET THERE STILL FIT AND HEALTHY AND STILL GETTING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE OUT OF LIFE? (UPLIFTING MUSIC) WE'D ALL LOVE TO POSSESS THE SECRETS TO A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE. (LAUGHTER) SCIENTISTS NOW KNOW MORE ABOUT AGEING THAN EVER BEFORE. IT'S ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING FRONTIERS OF MODERN SCIENCE. (UPLIFTING MUSIC CONTINUES) SO WE'RE SCOURING THE WORLD TO DISCOVER THE LATEST RESEARCH THAT WILL KEEP ALL OF US YOUNGER FOR LONGER. IN THIS SERIES, WE'LL FIND OUT WHAT'S BEST FOR BOTH OUR BODIES AND OUR BRAINS. THIS TIME, IT'S THE BODY. I TRAVEL TO AMERICA TO MEET THE SCIENTIST WHO'S DISCOVERED THE UNEXPECTED DIET THAT CAN ADD YEARS TO OUR LIVES. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FIND THIS REALLY SURPRISING. I VISIT GERMANY TO JOIN A GROUNDBREAKING STUDY THAT REVEALS WHICH EXERCISE HOLDS OFF AGEING THE MOST. I TURN 80 FOR THE DAY... I LOOK LIKE DONALD TRUMP. ...TO FOLLOW THE LATEST ADVICE THAT CAN MAKE US ALL SEVEN YEARS YOUNGER. YAY! (CLICK!) AND HOW THIS 17-YEAR-OLD MIGHT HOLD THE KEY TO CURE AGEING. ALONG THE WAY, ANGELA AND I COME UNDER CLOSE EXAMINATION,... OOH! DEAR ME, EH? OH MY GOODNESS. IF WE DON'T LOOK AFTER THAT, OK, IT WILL BE A MAJOR PROBLEM. ...ALL IN THE QUEST TO DISCOVER HOW TO STAY YOUNG. (BRASS BAND PLAYS 'KEEP YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL') MANY OF US WORRY ABOUT GETTING OLDER. SCIENTISTS HAVE JUST DEVELOPED A TEST THAT THEY CLAIM CAN ACCURATELY ASSESS HOW WELL WE'RE AGEING AND HOW LONG WE'LL LIVE. IT SO SIMPLE. YOU CAN DO IT ANYWHERE. PROFESSOR JANET LORD, AND EXPERT IN HEALTHY AGEING, IS GOING TO SHOW ME WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF. OH RIGHT. OK. SO YOU SHOULD DO THIS BAREFOOT. YEAH. AND THEN YOU HAVE TO CROSS YOUR LEGS,... YEAH. ...AND THEN TRY TO LOWER YOURSELF TO THE GROUND WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GROUND WITH ANY PART OF YOUR BODY ` YOUR HAND, YOUR KNEES, YOUR ARMS. JUST GO DOWN VERY SLOWLY. LIKE THAT? EXCELLENT. NOW WHAT? NOW YOU HAVE TO TRY TO STAND UP AGAIN WITHOUT USING ANY PART OF YOUR BODY TO HELP YOU STAND UP. (LAUGHS) I DON'T THINK I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. JUST GET UP THE BEST WAY YOU CAN. ARGH! (EXCLAIMS, LAUGHS) IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK. IT IS. IT IS. YOU USED A KNEE, BUT YOU'RE STILL VERY, VERY GOOD FOR YOUR AGE. BUT LOOK, WHY` WHY DOES DOING THAT ` WHAT I JUST DID ` WHY DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY BODY? YOU'RE SHOWING HOW STRONG YOUR MUSCLES ARE, AND WITHOUT WOBBLING AT ALL, YOU'RE SHOWING HOW GOOD YOUR BALANCE IS. IT'S REALLY TELLING US HOW WELL YOU'RE AGEING. VERY GOOD. LET'S TRY IT OUT ON A FEW MORE PEOPLE. OK. (PEOPLE CHATTER) (LADY GAGA'S 'POKER FACE') THERE WE GO. RIGHT. WHO IS GOING TO BE FIRST? CAN I? YES! 'THE SCORING IS EASY. 'YOU START WITH 10 POINTS AND THEN LOSE ONE POINT 'EVERY TIME YOU HAVE TO USE A HAND OR A KNEE. 'AND IF YOU WOBBLE, YOU LOSE HALF A POINT. # # FOLD 'EM, LET 'EM HIT ME, RAISE IT, BABY, STAY WITH ME. # LOVE GAME, INTUITION, PLAY THE CARDS WITH SPADES TO START. # AND AFTER HE'S BEEN HOOKED...' 'THIS 'SIT TO RISE' TEST CAME OUT OF A RECENT BRAZILIAN STUDY. 'SCIENTISTS ASSESSED OVER 2000 PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 50 AND 80, 'AND THEIR HEALTH WAS FOLLOWED UP OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS.' (INDISTINCT CHATTER) 'PEOPLE'S INITIAL SCORES WERE POWERFUL PREDICTORS OF LATER HEALTH... ALL RIGHT, MA? '...AND HOW LONG THEY'D LIVE.' (CHEERING) WOW! SO ALL THOSE SCORES THAT YOU WERE GIVING, WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY MEAN NOW IN TERMS OF A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE? IF YOU SCORE 8 TO 10, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE. (CHEERING) WHOO-HOO! WE GOT A 10! THE NEXT BRACKET DOWN IS THE 6 TO 7� GROUP. YES! GOOD! GOOD. YES! COMPARED TO THE 8 TO 10 GROUP, THEY'VE GOT ALMOST TWICE AS HIGH A CHANCE OF HAVING A SHORTER LIFE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. I COULD HAVE GOT A 5. ARGH! (ALL EXCLAIM) THE NEXT GROUP DOWN IS THE 3� TO THE 5�. THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ALMOST THREE AND A HALF TIMES THE RISK OF ACTUALLY NOT HAVING A PARTICULARLY LONG LIFE. 'IF YOU SCORE LOW, THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BY BEING MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE.' I'M A HOPELESS CASE. NO, YOU'RE NOT! YOU CAN IMPROVE THAT SCORE BY DOING EXERCISES THAT WILL HELP TO STRENGTHEN THE BODY AND GIVE YOU BETTER BALANCE. EXACTLY. ('BEE GEES' 'STAYING ALIVE') 'A SINGLE POINT INCREASE IN YOUR SCORE CAN REDUCE YOUR CHANCE OF DYING WITHIN SIX YEARS BY OVER 20%. 'ANY EXERCISE THAT TARGETS STRENGTH, AGILITY AND BALANCE WILL HELP IMPROVE YOUR SCORE. 'EVEN JUST PRACTISING THE 'SIT TO RISE' TEST ITSELF IS A GOOD WAY TO START.' # STAYIN' ALIVE. STAYIN' ALIVE. # AH, HA, HA, HA... # (SCREAMS, LAUGHS) DR CHRIS: WE ALL KNOW PEOPLE WHO SEEM YOUNG FOR THEIR AGE. BUT WHY DO SOME OF US AGE BETTER THAN OTHERS? IT'S LONG BEEN THOUGHT IT'S MAINLY TO DO WITH OUR GENES. (LAUGHS) (JAUNTY MUSIC) BUT NEW RESEARCH ON IDENTICAL TWINS HAS OVERTURNED THIS. THANKS TO TWIN STUDIES, SCIENTISTS NOW KNOW THAT FOR MOST OF US, HOW LONG WE LIVE IS 75% DOWN TO LIFESTYLE AND ONLY 25% DOWN TO OUR GENES. (JAUNTY MUSIC) IDENTICAL TWINS COME FROM A SINGLE SPERM AND EGG. THIS IS MY IDENTICAL TWIN. WE BEGAN LIFE AS A SINGLE CLUMP OF CELLS THAT SPLIT SOMEWHERE IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS TO BECOME TWO SEPARATE PEOPLE. WE SHARE, THEREFORE, 100% OF OUR DNA, AND THAT IS WHY IT IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL US APART. WHAT ABOUT MY BEARD? SHH! THE GENES OF IDENTICAL TWINS ARE THE SAME, SO THEY'RE PERFECT FOR INVESTIGATING HOW LIFESTYLE CHOICES AFFECT AGEING. (SALT-N-PEPA'S 'PUSH IT') TO PROVE IT, WE'VE TRACKED DOWN A PAIR OF TWINS WHO LIVE REALLY DIFFERENT LIVES TO DISCOVER WHICH LIFESTYLE AGES YOU THE MOST. # OOH, BABY, BABY. # THIS IS PATTY, A 55-YEAR-OLD PROFESSIONAL LIVING AND WORKING IN THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF WASHINGTON DC. # PUSH IT! # (BOB DYLAN'S 'BLOWING IN THE WIND') AND THIS IS TERRY, HER IDENTICAL TWIN SISTER ` RETIRED AND LIVING JUST YARDS FROM WHERE THEY GREW UP IN THE SMALL EAST COAST TOWN OF ELKTON. # PUSH IT! # PATTY'S HOOKED ON THE ADRENALINE OF THE CITY,... ...TERRY LIVES SLOWER AND ACCEPTS SHE'S A BIT OVERWEIGHT, UNLIKE HER SLIMMER SISTER. (GENTLE HARMONICA MUSIC) WE ARE EXACTLY ALIKE AND TOTAL OPPOSITES. AT THE SAME TIME. SO WHICH LIFESTYLE IS AGEING THEM FASTER? THE TWINS RESEARCH CENTRE IN LONDON HAS PIONEERED A WAY TO ANSWER THIS ` A CUTTING-EDGE BLOOD TEST THAT CAN REVEAL AT A MOLECULAR LEVEL EXACTLY HOW WELL A PERSON'S AGEING. OVER THE YEARS, POOR LIFESTYLE CHOICES CAN DAMAGE THE DNA IN OUR BLOOD, AND THE TEST DETECTS THE DAMAGE. THE LESS DAMAGE TO THE DNA, THE YOUNGER YOU ARE BIOLOGICALLY. (THE CLASH'S 'LONDON CALLING) # LONDON CALLING TO THE FARAWAY TOWNS. PATTY AND TERRY HAD THE BLOOD TEST AND HAVE NOW MADE THE TRIP TO LONDON TO FIND OUT THEIR RESULTS AND DISCOVER HOW THEIR TWO DIFFERENT LIFESTYLES HAVE AFFECTED THEIR ACTUAL BIOLOGICAL AGE. # LONDON CALLING, SEE WE AIN'T GOT NO SWING. # NEVER FELT SO MUCH ALIKE. # (BOTH LAUGH) OH, THERE HE IS. HI, GUYS. OH! HOW ARE YOU DOING? IT'S VERY NICE TO MEET YOU. NICE TO MEET YOU! AND YOU! (CHUCKLES) IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU. OH WOW! BIOLOGICALLY, THERE MAY BE A DIFFERENCE. SO HOW DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO DO? I THINK THAT I'M` I THINK THAT I'M YOUNGER THAN HER. I THINK THAT I'M GONNA BE YOUNGER THAN HER. SO YOU BOTH THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE YOUNGER THAN THE OTHER ONE? YEP. WHY? I` I THINK STRESS PLAY` IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR. SHE'S JUST SORT OF A HIGHER STRESS PERSON, AND I'M A LOT MORE EASY-GOING. UM, I'M OVERWEIGHT AND SHE'S NOT, SO THAT'S THE OTHER FACTOR. I'VE KIND OF TRIED TO OVERCOME THE STRESS BY HAVING AS MUCH ACTIVITY AS I` AS I POSSIBLY CAN. AND, UM` WHAT? WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING? BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVITY TOO, AND I GET UP FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND GO TAKE CARE OF HORSES AND CARRY TWO 5-GALLON WATER BUCKETS AND CLEAN STALLS AND PUSH WHEELBARROWS AND DUMP MANURE, SO, YEAH, I THINK` I THINK THE ACTIVITY IS ABOUT A WASH. I THINK WE'RE BOTH VERY ACTIVE. TERRY, ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS, DO YOU AGGRESSIVELY, KIND OF, PURSUE THINGS TO PROLONG YOUR LIFE, WITH` WITH DIET, WITH EXERCISE? IF I WERE TO BE TOLD, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT YOU CAN EXTEND YOUR LIFE BY SIX MONTHS IF YOU NEVER EAT CHOCOLATE AGAIN,... (CHUCKLES) ...NO WAY. (ALL LAUGH) TO REVEAL WHO HAS AGED LESS, TWIN SPECIALIST PROFESSOR TIM SPECTOR HAS ANALYSED THE BLOOD TESTS THIS IS THE BIG MOMENT. THIS HERE GIVES YOUR CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, 55, AND YOU BOTH SEEMED FAIRY SURE THAT YOU'RE` BOTH: YOUNGER. YEP. NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. AND THE RESULTS SHOW... ACTUALLY, YOU ARE BOTH BIOLOGICALLY YOUNGER THAN AVERAGE. BUT THAT'S GREAT. IT'S A FANTASTIC RESULT. BUT THE BIOLOGICAL AGE OF ONE TWIN IS LOWER THAN THE OTHER. THAT'S ME. THAT'S DEFINITELY YOU, IS IT? YEAH. NO. THAT'S ME. YEAH? (LAUGHS) YES! (BOTH LAUGH) SORRY ABOUT THAT. ONE TO TWO YEARS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU, ALL RIGHT? I'M JUST KIDDING. THIS IS GREAT. SO TERRY IS UP TO TWO YEARS YOUNGER THAN PATTY. BUT LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE... SO YOU'VE BOTH DONE VERY WELL. YOU KNOW, ONE IS LOWER THAN THE OTHER. AND WHY IS THAT? YOU'VE GOT LESS STRESS IN YOUR LIFE THAN YOU HAVE? AND CLEARLY THAT STRESS HAS PLAYED A ROLE. YEAH? THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU. BUT YOU'RE PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT FITTER, CARRYING A LITTLE LESS WEIGHT, UH, AND THAT IS, UM, HELPED YOU AS WELL. SO I THINK THESE ARE IMPORTANT MESSAGES ` THAT IF EVERYONE COULD BE FIT, HEALTHY, DE-STRESSED AND HAVE THE PERFECT DIET, YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS HOW LOW YOU COULD GO. AND I SEE THAT AS MORE OF AN INCENTIVE TO DO EVEN BETTER, RATHER THAN A REASON TO RELAX AND LET THINGS HAPPEN. THIS HAS BEEN REALLY INSPIRING FOR US BOTH. AFTER SMOKING, STRESS AND WEIGHT HAVE THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON HOW WE AGE. MY IDENTICAL TWIN, XANDER, AND I ALSO TOOK TIM'S BLOOD TEST. OK, SO YOU GUYS HAVE YOUR RESULTS. NOW, XANDER AND I ARE ACTUALLY ALREADY PART OF YOUR RESEARCH STUDY. SO I MET TIM QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO, AND AT THAT POINT, TIM SAID TO XAND THAT HE WAS A DISGRACE TO HIS GENES,... (BOTH LAUGH) ...BECAUSE HE WAS SO MUCH HEAVIER THAN ME. I THINK THE DIFFERENCE WOULD BE BIGGER. I'LL BE TWO YEARS BIOLOGICALLY YOUNGER THAN XAND. BUT HE IS THE MORE LAIDBACK TWIN. SO YOU'VE HAD MORE STRESS, YOU THINK? YEAH, I AM A CLASSICALLY NEUROTIC, HIGH-STRESS INDIVIDUAL. (LAUGHS) NOW THE MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR YOU AND XANDER. OOH! DEAR ME, EH? OH MY GOODNESS. 'BIOLOGICALLY, WE ARE BOTH FIVE YEARS OLDER THAN WE SHOULD BE.' THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR TEST. (ALL LAUGH) 'BOTH OUR LIFESTYLES ARE EQUALLY BAD FOR US. TIM THINKS MY PROBLEM IS STRESS.' YOU DO HAVE A STRESSFUL JOB, STRESSFUL LIFE. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT, UH, THESE ARE FACTORS THAT YOU OUGHT TO BE THINKING ABOUT. SO THIS MEANS THAT I CAN EXPECT TO GET THE DISEASES OF AGEING ` YOU KNOW, DIABETES, JOINTS ACHES AND PAINS, ARTHRITIS, DEMENTIA, HEART ATTACKS, STROKES ` ALL THAT STUFF WILL HAPPEN FIVE YEARS EARLIER FOR ME THAN FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON OF MY AGE? YES. HOW MANY JOBS DO YOU HAVE? I HAVE THREE JOBS. WELL, THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. ALL OF WHICH I STRUGGLE AT. MAYBE YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT AND CHILL OUT AND SMELL THE ROSES ALONG THE WAY AND MAYBE NOT MAKE IT, UH, EAT AT YOU ON THE INSIDE. 'STRESS IS LITERALLY SHORTENING MY LIFE.' I AM GUTTED. TO YOU GUYS... WE'RE 55. NO, NO, BUT YOU'RE NOT. YOU'RE 49 BIOLOGICALLY. WELL... AND I'M 41. AND YOU'RE 41. WHEN I MET YOU THIS MORNING, THERE WAS 18 YEARS BETWEEN US,... (WOMEN LAUGH) ...AND NOW THERE'S ONLY EIGHT YEARS BETWEEN US. THAT WAS A SHOCK. BUT I FOUND OUT IN TIME TO STILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, THANKS TO THIS REVOLUTIONARY TEST THAT IS HELPING SCIENTISTS BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW WE AGE. SO, WE YOU WANT YOUR RESULTS FROM, UH, TIM SPECTOR? IF THEY'RE GOOD. WELL, IT COULD BE WORSE, BUT NOT MUCH. SO YOU AND I ARE FIVE YEARS OLDER THAN OUR CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, THAN OUR ACTUAL AGE. FIVE YEARS?! 41. SO WE'RE OLDER THAN WE SHOULD BE? IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH. I'VE JUST SAID YOU'RE 41. THAT'S A LOT. LIKE, I'M NOT` I'M NOT THAT OLD. THAT'S A DECENT CHUNK OF MY LIFE. YEAH. SO WHY? WELL, PROBABLY BECAUSE I'M QUITE STRESSED AND YOU'VE... BEEN QUITE OVERWEIGHT. I MEAN, IT COST ME THAT MUCH TIME? YEAH. I THINK THE REALLY NICE THING THAT TIM'S RESEARCH SHOWS US, THOUGH, IS THAT WE DO HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE. WE CAN MAKE DECISIONS IN OUR LIFE ABOUT OUR LIFESTYLE TO LOSE WEIGHT, CHILL OUT, AND IT WILL ADD YEARS TO OUR LIFE. AND THAT'S QUITE COOL. IT'S NOT FATE. IT'S NOT PREDETERMINED. YEAH. (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) 'THE TEST HAS DRIVEN HOME TO ME THAT IF I WANT TO LIVE LONGER, I NEED TO DEAL WITH MY STRESS 'AND MY BROTHER NEEDS TO GRAPPLE WITH HIS DIET. 'LATER ON, I'LL BE FINDING OUT THE BEST WAYS FOR ALL OF US TO WIN YEARS BACK.' 1 (GRUNTS) OH! (FUNKY MUSIC) UNLIKE CHRIS AND XAND, I'M NOT PARTICULARLY STRESSED, AND I KNOW I'M NOT OVERWEIGHT. PEOPLE SAY I'M AGEING PRETTY WELL. BUT APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE. TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE AGEING PROCESS, SCIENTISTS SAY YOU'LL NEED TO PEER UNDER THE BONNET. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) SO I'M GOING TO HAVE A FULL BODY MRI SCAN TO LOOK INSIDE ME, AND I HAVE TO SAY I AM JUST A TEENY BIT ANXIOUS ABOUT IT. IT'S GOING TO BE NOISY, ISN'T IT? IT IS A BIT NOISY, BUT I GIVE YOU HEADPHONES. YOU GOT MUSIC FOR ME? WE'VE GOT MUSIC FOR YOU. YEP. GOOD. OBVIOUSLY WHEN I WAS IN MY TEENS, MY 20S, MY 30S, EVEN MY 40S, I WOULD HAVE HOPED THAT MY BRAIN AND MY BODY WAS IN A REASONABLE CONDITION. JUST MAKE THIS ONE... BUT IT'S NOW 71 YEARS OLD. (LAUGHS) IT'S` IT'S LIKE A, SORT OF, UM` I'M NOT A FERRARI ANY MORE. I'M A` I'M A SORT OF, UM, HOPEFULLY REASONABLY WELL PRESERVED VINTAGE MODEL. (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) (MACHINE WHIRRS) FANTASTIC. LET'S START. BY TAKING THOUSANDS OF SLICE-LIKE IMAGES, THIS MRI WILL REVEAL EXACTLY HOW MY ORGANS HAVE AGED ` MY HEART, MY LIVER, MY SPINE AND MY BRAIN. YOU OK? THAT'S THE EASY BIT OVER. THE HARD PART WILL BE RECEIVING THE RESULTS. YEP. GET UP. OOH! THANK YOU. PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE JIMMY BELL WILL INTERPRET THE SCANS FOR ME, THE FIRST TIME I'VE BEEN ABLE TO PEER INSIDE MY OWN BODY. THIS IS A 3-D RENDERING OF YOUR BODY, AND WE WANT TO SEE WHAT EFFECT AGEING MIGHT HAVE HAD. OK. SO IF WE ZOOM IN` SO WE'RE JUST GOING TO CLICK, UM, THIS HERE. AND AS WE ZOOM IN, WE CAN SEE YOUR SPINE HERE. 'WELL, MOST OF ME APPEARS TO BE AGEING SATISFYINGLY SLOWLY.' YOU HAVE A VERY YOUNG HEART. EXTERNAL HEART IS VERY HEALTHY. YOU HAVE GOT THE BODY COMPOSITION OF, UH, OF A YOUNG PERSON. YOUR MUSCLE MASS IS ACTUALLY SUBSTANTIAL, AND IN A SENSE, THAT'S ACTUALLY VERY HEALTHY. IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE A YOUNG, UH, LEGS, IF I MIGHT SAY SO. (LAUGHS) 'WELL, SO FAR SO GOOD. BUT THEN WE FIND SOMETHING RATHER MORE SINISTER.' IF WE ACTUALLY LOOK AROUND THE LIVER, ALL THE WHITE BITS HERE, AND THAT'S ALL WHAT WE CALL VISCERAL FAT. YOU HAVE A VERY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF VISCERAL FAT. SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO ZOOM INTO THE HEART. IF YOU LOOK AT THAT YELLOW BIT AROUND IT, AGAIN, SURPRISINGLY, YOU HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF FAT ACCUMULATED AROUND YOUR HEART. THAT PHYSICAL CONSTRAINT OF THE HEART PUMPING AGAINST THAT FAT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM LONG-TERM. 'I'M IN SHOCK. THIS IS ALL A BIT DIFFICULT TO TAKE IN.' WE'LL EXPECT SOMEONE HEALTHY OF ANY AGE TO HAVE LESS THAN 2 LITRES OF VISCERAL FAT. YOU HAVE BETWEEN 6 LITRES AND 7 LITRES. 'THAT IS NOT GOOD NEWS. I' EXERCISE, I EAT WELL. 'SO WHERE THE HECK HAS ALL THIS INTERNAL FAT COME FROM?' NORMALLY IT'S TO DO WITH LIFESTYLE, SO WE'LL EXPECT SOMEONE WHO HAS A POOR DIET ` HIGH IN SUGAR OR, UM, FAT, OR SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T DO, UH, LOTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THAT'S NOT ME. (LAUGHS) BUT CLEARLY YOU ARE A PUZZLE. THAT'S NOT YOU AT ALL. THIS FIELD OF SCIENCE IS VERY NEW, SO THERE ARE STILL UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, AND WOMEN DO SEEM TO BE MORE VULNERABLE THAN MEN TO INTERNAL FAT. BUT WHATEVER THE CAUSE, THE IMPLICATIONS FOR ME ARE SERIOUS. INTERNAL FAT IS QUITE DANGEROUS. IT CAN LEAD TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, TO TYPE II DIABETES, AND IF WE DON'T LOOK AFTER THAT, OK, IT WILL BE A MAJOR PROBLEM. (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) THIS IS DEVASTATING. I'D NO IDEA THAT AS WE AGE, SOME OF US PUT DOWN LOTS OF INTERNAL BODY FAT. SO, WHAT'S THE SOLUTION? WELL, THANKFULLY SCIENTISTS HAVE RECENTLY FOUND SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO REDUCE THIS HIDDEN THREAT. THERE WAS A BIG SHOCK ATTACHED TO THE RESULTS, AND THAT IS THAT I AM CARRYING AN AWFUL LOT OF INTERNAL FAT, PARTICULARLY AROUND MY HEART, AND THAT REALLY IS VERY WORRYING. BUT, UM, I'M TOLD THAT THERE'S, UM, A WAY, OF COURSE, OF, UH, HELPING TO GET RID OF ALL OF THAT FAT, AND QUITE SIMPLY IT IS EATING A LOT MORE HIGH-RESISTANCE STARCH. UM, AND THAT OCCURS IN PULSES LIKE LENTILS AND CHICKPEAS. THE LATEST SCIENCE HAS REVEALED THAT WHEN HIGH-RESISTANCE STARCH IS EATEN, IT PASSES THROUGH TO THE LARGE INTESTINE. THERE IT RELEASES AN ACID WHICH ENTERS THE BODY TO REDUCE INTERNAL FAT. THE TROUBLE IS, FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, YOU NEED TO EAT A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF LENTILS ` KILOS A WEEK. FORTUNATELY, THERE'S AN ARTIFICIAL ALTERNATIVE. THERE'S A CONCENTRATED FORM OF HIGH-RESISTANCE STARCH, AND IT'S THIS STUFF ` THIS WHITE POWDER, WHICH IS CALLED INULIN. AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SPRINKLE THAT OVER YOUR FOOD. NOW, IT'S OBVIOUSLY GOING TO TAKE QUITE A WHILE, PROBABLY ABOUT SIX MONTHS, TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT FOLLOWING THIS KIND OF DIET IS GOING TO MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE TO ME, BUT, UM, CLEARLY I'M GOING TO GIVE IT A GO. SCIENTISTS ARE DEVELOPING A NEW GENERATION OF DRUGS WHICH THEY EXPECT TO BE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING INTERNAL FAT. BUT FOR NOW THE INULIN FOOD SUPPLEMENT IS MY BEST HOPE. (FUNKY MUSIC) WHAT WE EAT IS CRUCIAL TO HOW WELL WE AGE. AND A SURPRISING DISCOVERY ABOUT THE BEST DIET TO KEEP US YOUNG HAS COME FROM AN UNLIKELY PLACE ` THE USA ` FAMOUS FOR FAST FOOD. TAKE DOWNTOWN LA ` A PLACE WHERE FAST FOOD HAS REPLACED FRESH FOOD. PEOPLE LIVING IN AREAS LIKE THIS ARE THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE OF MAJOR AGE-RELATED DISEASES. OF ALL THE FACTS AND FIGURES, THE ONE I THINK WHICH IS MOST, KIND OF, TELLING IS THAT OF ALL THE MEALS THAT ARE EATEN IN THE UNITED STATES, 20% OF THEM ARE CONSUMED IN PEOPLE'S CARS. IT'S LIKE A, KIND OF, ENJOYABLE, SLOW SUICIDE ` BEING DELIBERATELY INACTIVE WHILE YOU CONSUME VAST QUANTITIES OF CALORIES. # TAKE ME DOWN TO THE PARADISE CITY, WHERE THE GRASS IS GREEN AND THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY... BUT JUST 60 MILES EAST OF LA IS SOMEWHERE VERY DIFFERENT. # ...HOME. # (PEACEFUL MUSIC) TUCKED AWAY IN THE MOUNTAINS IS THE QUIET TOWN OF LOMA LINDA. HERE PEOPLE LIVE UP TO 10 YEARS LONGER THAN YOUR AVERAGE CALIFORNIAN. AND SCIENTIST SUSPECT IT'S LARGELY TO DO WITH WHAT THEY EAT. SO I'M OFF TO MEET ONE OF THE TOWN'S OLDEST RESIDENTS, CENTENARIAN DR ELLSWORTH WAREHAM TO ASK HIM HIS SECRET TO A LONG LIFE. (DOORBELL RINGS) HI, ELLSWORTH. HI THERE. VERY, VERY NICE TO MEET YOU. SAME HERE. DO YOU DO ANY EXERCISE? NO. (LAUGHS) HIS MEDICAL CAREER LASTED 67 YEARS. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PUT SURGICAL GLOVES ON AND TOUCHED A PATIENT? WHEN I WAS 95. WHEN YOU WERE 95? YEAH. AND YOU'RE NOW...? 100. 100. I'LL BE 101 IN SIX WEEKS. I SAY I CAN GO RIGHT NOW AND DO` ANY OPERATION I'VE EVER DONE, I CAN DO RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN STILL PUT SOMEONE ON A HEART BYPASS MACHINE` OH, EASILY. NOTHING TO IT. OH, A LUNG, FOR EXAMPLE, I CAN DO IN MY SLEEP. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO STOP OPERATING AT 95? SO I SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME AT HOME. (LAUGHS) YOU KNOW. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS ENABLED YOU TO STAY` TO STAY THAT YOUNG? I AM INCLINED TO BELIEVE THAT LIFESTYLE HAS QUITE A BIT TO DO WITH YOUR HEALTH. AND, UH, I'M A VEGAN. DO YOU THINK THAT VEGANISM ` THAT AVOIDING EATING DAIRY, BUTTER, MEAT ` DO YOU THINK THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN YOU BEING A 100-YEAR-OLD WHO LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE 30 YEARS YOUNGER, HAS NO PAIN, AND CAN STILL DO HEART SURGERY? I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. (GENTLE MUSIC) ELLSWORTH HAS BEEN A VEGAN FOR 50 YEARS. HE'S ALSO A SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST, A RELIGION WHICH ENCOURAGES VEGETARIANISM AND THE MAIN FAITH OF LOMA LINDA. THAT'S THE UNIVERSITY CHURCH. BUT COULD VEGETARIANISM BE THE KEY TO LIVING LONGER? MOST OF THE COMMUNITY IS NOW PART OF A WORLD-RENOWNED STUDY ON DIET AND AGEING. (ORGAN PLAYS HYMN) AS A STAUNCH CARNIVORE, I'M MEETING PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH LARRY BEESON TO SEE IF IT'S REALLY WORTH DITCHING THE MEAT. HI, LARRY. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU IN PERSON. WELL, THAT'S REALLY NICE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MEETING. SO WE HAD 96,000 PEOPLE FILL OUT A 50-PAGE QUESTIONNAIRE, WHICH WAS A TASK IN OF ITSELF. YEAH. IN THAT QUESTIONNAIRE, WE LOOKED AT WHAT FOODS YOU ATE, YOU KNOW, DAIRY AND EGGS AND MEAT AND FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND EVERYTHING ELSE. ALL THEIR DIFFERENT DIETS WERE COMPARED WITH HOW WELL THEY AGED. THE HEALTHIEST DIET OF ALL ` VEGAN. YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR RISK OF CANCER, REDUCE YOUR RISK OF HEART ATTACKS, REDUCE YOUR RISK OF STROKE, AND IN EVERYTHING WE LOOKED AT, THAT'S TRUE. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY ON THE LOMA LINDA POPULATION ARE REALLY STRIKING. FOR VEGANS, OVERALL MORTALITY IS REDUCED BY A QUARTER, COMPARED TO MEAT-EATERS. AND THEY'RE HALF AS LIKELY TO GET HEART DISEASE. (JAUNTY MUSIC) LARRY WANTS TO SHOW ME AROUND HIS LOCAL SUPERMARKET TO EXPLAIN HOW SIMPLE CHANGES TO THE WEEKLY SHOP CAN ADD YEARS TO OUR LIFE. BELL PEPPERS. BELL PEPPERS. DO YOU WANT A YELLOW OR AN ORANGE PEPPER? IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL SUPERMARKET. IT DOESN'T SELL ANY MEAT. (JAUNTY MUSIC CONTINUES) IF MY AMBITIONS IS TO LIVE THE LONGEST I CAN I CAN POSSIBLY LIVE, IF WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT DIET, THE BEST THING I CAN DO IS TO BE A VEGAN AND THEN, IF YOU ADD STUFF TO THAT VEGANISM, LIKE YOU START ADDING EGGS AND MILK, IF YOU ADD FISH, IF YOU ADD EVEN A SMALL QUANTITY OF MEAT, YOU INCREASE YOUR RISK OF ALMOST EVERYTHING. THAT'S WHAT THE DATA APPEARS TO SHOW. THAT'S REMARKABLE. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FIND THIS REALLY SURPRISING. 'ANIMAL PROTEIN, WHEN EATEN, STIMULATES A HORMONE IN OUR BODIES 'THAT WE ALL NEED FOR GROWTH. 'BUT AS YOU GET OLDER, ESPECIALLY DURING MIDDLE AGE, THIS SAME HORMONE SPEEDS UP AGEING. 'AND SO THE MORE YOU REPLACE MEAT PROTEIN WITH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES, THE SLOWER YOU AGE.' WALNUTS, WALNUTS, WALNUTS. 'THE LOMA LINDA STUDY ALSO FOUND SOMETHING ELSE THAT PROTECTS US AGAINST HEART ATTACKS ` 'NUTS.' WE COMPARED DIFFERENT LEVELS OF NUT CONSUMPTION AS IT RELATED TO CORONARY HEART DISEASE, BOTH FATAL AND NON-FATAL, AND WE FOUND OUT, SURPRISINGLY, AT LEAST TO US, INITIALLY, WAS THAT THOSE WHO CONSUMED NUTS FIVE TIMES PER WEEK ` THAT'S A HANDFUL OF NUTS ` HAD HALF THE RISK OF A HEART ATTACK COMPARED TO THOSE WHO ATE NUTS INFREQUENTLY. 'THE GOOD FATS CONTAINED IN NUTS REDUCE CHOLESTEROL IN THE BODY 'AND SO STOP YOUR ARTERIES FROM FIRMING UP.' PINTO BEANS OR BLACK BEANS? 'ALL NUTS CONTAIN THESE FATS, BUT WALNUTS HAVE THE MOST.' I'M GUESSING THE BUTTER-TOFFEE PEANUTS... WE'RE GOING TO FLY PAST THAT. THEY'RE OFF THE MENU. SO WE'LL GET SOME OF THESE RAW PECANS. 'SO NUTS ARE AN EASY FIX TO LIVE LONGER.' (JAUNTY MUSIC) BUT FOR A COMMITTED MEAT-EATER LIKE ME, GOING VEGAN IS A REALLY BIG ASK. AND NOT ONE I THINK I'LL BE ABLE TO STICK TO. FATHER OF US ALL, FOR THE BEAUTIFUL FOOD ON THIS TABLE, WE THANK YOU. BE OUR GUEST AS WE DINE TONIGHT. AMEN. ALL MURMUR: AMEN. CAN YOU PASS THE BEANS? YEP. THE TABLE LOOKS COLOURFUL AND VARIED, AND IT IS A TABLE WITHOUT ANY MEAT ON IT AT ALL. BASICALLY, THE MORE COLOURFUL YOUR MEAL IS, PROBABLY THE MORE NUTRITIOUS. THE COLOUR IS PRETTY GOOD EVIDENCE THAT THERE'S MINERALS AND VITAMINS BEHIND ALL THOSE COLOURS. I'M A FANATICAL MEAT-EATER. SO I WOULD EAT PORK EVERY NIGHT,... (ALL CHUCKLE) ...GIVEN THE CHOICE. PROSPECT OF A MEAL WITHOUT MEAT IS ACTUALLY QUITE DAUNTING. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT` THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY EASY. 'BUT LARRY EXPLAINS I DON'T HAVE TO BECOME A FULL-BLOWN VEGAN TO GAIN EXTRA YEARS. 'JUST A SMALL REDUCTION IN MEAT-EATING WILL HELP.' SLOWLY, SMALL STEPS WHERE YOU SAY, 'I'M GOING TO TRY VEGETARIANISM FOR ONE DAY AT A TIME.' RIGHT. AND WE CALL ALL DO IT. AND IT'S PROBABLY CHEAPER. (GENTLE MUSIC) THE LOMA LINDA STUDY IS PART OF A WHOLE RAFT OF RESEARCH THAT CONFIRMS THAT EATING LESS MEAT CAN SLOW DOWN THE AGEING PROCESS. SO AS A GENTLE START, I'M GOING FOR MEATLESS MONDAYS. 1 (FUNKY MUSIC) NEW SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HAVE PROVEN THAT EXERCISE IS ANOTHER MAJOR WAY TO STAY YOUNG. (ROCK MUSIC) AS YOU AGE, YOUR BODY NATURALLY BECOMES MORE FRAIL. EXERCISE COUNTERACTS THIS BY BUILDING UP MUSCLE. BUT RECENT RESEARCH INTO WHICH EXERCISE IS BEST AT MAKING US STRONGER AS WE AGE HAS COME UP WITH SOME SURPRISING RESULTS. TO FIND OUT MORE, I'VE TRAVELLED TO THE CENTRE OF GERMANY. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) SCIENTISTS HERE AT MAGDEBURG UNIVERSITY WANTED TO DISCOVER WHICH OF TWO PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES IS MORE EFFECTIVE AT KEEPING FRAILTY AT BAY. SEITE, OBEN, SEITE, OBEN. EINS, ZWEI, DREI, KICK. EINS, ZWEI, DREI, KICK. WHAT THEY CAME UP WITH WAS A PROGRAMME COMPARING THE KIND OF THINGS YOU DO IN A GYM... WITH SOMETHING WHICH IS RIGHT UP MY STREET, AND THAT'S DANCING. KLATSCHEN, OI! EINS, ZWEI, DREI, KICK. EINS, ZWEI, DREI, KICK. SO WHILE 20 ELDERLY GERMANS DANCED THREE TIMES A WEEK, ANOTHER GROUP TRAINED FOR EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE GYM, DOING ACTIVITIES LIKE RIDING EXERCISE BIKES. BOTH GROUPS SIGNED UP FOR THE LONG HAUL ` THREE HOURS A WEEK FOR SIX MONTHS. BUT WHICH ACTIVITY WAS BEST AT TACKLING AGEING? IT WAS OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT TO GET AN ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF THE BENEFITS OF A DANCE CLASS OVER CONVENTIONAL FITNESS REGIME. AND SO THE TEAM CAME UP WITH A REALLY CLEVER WHEEZE ` BOTH GROUPS HAVE TO EXERCISE TO THE SAME MUSIC. (UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS) THAT WAY, THEY WERE ABLE TO KEEP THE LEVEL OF EXERTION ROUGHLY EQUAL. EINS, ZWEI, DREI, VIER, FUNF, SECHS, SIEBEN, ACHT. STOP! PROFESSOR MARCO NARICI IS THE SPECIALIST IN MUSCLE DEGENERATION FOR THE STUDY. MARCO, WHY DO WE GET MORE FRAIL AS WE GET OLD? WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING TO OUR MUSCLES? OUR MUSCLES BECOME SMALLER, AND THESE ARE NATURAL PROCESSES, ALMOST INEVITABLE. IT AFFECTS US ALL. THESE SCANS ARE THE CROSS-SECTIONS OF THE UPPER THIGH. THE OUTER PINK LINE IS THE SKIN, THE RED AREA ` MUSCLE WITH THE BONE IN THE MIDDLE. ALL OF THE WHITE IS FAT. SO YOU CAN SEE IN A HEALTHY YOUNG PERSON, THERE IS A LOT OF MUSCLE, VERY LITTLE FAT. HARDLY ANY FAT AT ALL THERE. ABSOLUTELY. 'AS YOU AGE, THE MUSCLES SHRINKS.' 55 YEARS ` THAT'S A BIT DIFFERENT. THAT'S A BIT DIFFERENT, YES. THERE'S MORE FAT, LESS MUSCLE. AND AS WE MOVE TO 80, YOU HAVE ALMOST 40% LESS MUSCLE THAN IN YOUR 30S. SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT IT'S INEVITABLE THAT ONCE WE HIT OUR 30S, THAT THAT'S WHEN THIS SORT OF DEGENERATION STARTS ON OUR MUSCLES? YES. AFTER THAT IT SPEEDS UP QUITE RAPIDLY. BUT WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. (UPBEAT MUSIC) SO WHEN IT CAME TO STRENGTHENING THE MUSCLES, WHICH OF THE TWO SETS OF EXERCISE WAS BETTER? GYM OR DANCING? (SLOW MUSIC) IN THE BLOOD OF EACH PARTICIPANT, THEY LOOKED FOR A PROTEIN WHICH SHOWED WHETHER THEIR MUSCLES WERE GETTING WEAKER OR NOT. AFTER SIX MONTHS, THE RESULTS WERE CLEAR. ON AVERAGE, THE GYM GROUP HAD LITTLE DIFFERENCE, WHILE THE DANCERS HAD A 15% IMPROVEMENT. BUT WHY DID DANCING MAKE THE MUSCLES STRONGER COMPARED TO THOSE WORKING OUT IN THE GYM? EXERCISE DONE IN A GYM IS VERY REPETITIVE. YOU TRAIN ONE MUSCLE OR JUST A GROUP OF MUSCLES. IF INSTEAD YOU DO DANCING, IT STIMULATES MANY MORE SYSTEMS. YOUR BRAIN, YOUR MUSCLES, YOUR TENDONS, YOUR LIGAMENTS. UH, SO IT'S MUCH MORE HOLISTIC AS A FORM OF EXERCISE, MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE. ALL LOGICAL ENOUGH. BUT MARCO MADE ANOTHER UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) EACH MUSCLE FIBRE, HERE IN RED, IS CONTROLLED BY A NERVE, THERE SHOWN IN GREEN. THERE'S A CRUCIAL JUNCTION WHICH CONNECTS THEM. DANCING REQUIRES MORE INPUT FROM NERVES AND SO STRENGTHENS THESE JUNCTIONS AND THEREFORE THE MUSCLES. SO DANCING FACILITATES THE CROSS-TALK BETWEEN THE MUSCLE AND THE NERVE. AND THAT'S THE KEY. SO, REALLY, WE SHOULD ALL JUST KEEP DANCING. YES, WE SHOULD. (CHUCKLES) DO YOU DANCE? UM, I... PROBABLY WILL. (BOTH LAUGH) (BEYONCE'S 'CRAZY IN LOVE' PLAYS) THE GYM GROUP DID IMPROVE, BUT DANCING IS THE BETTER EXERCISE. BECAUSE AS WELL AS BEING AEROBIC, IT REQUIRES FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE. # UH-OH, UH-OH, UH-OH, OH, NO, NO. UH-OH, UH-OH, UH-OH, OH, NO, NO. AND IF THIS GROUP OF DANCERS IS ANYTHING TO GO BY, WELL, THEY CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT. BECAUSE THE STUDY ACTUALLY FINISHED AFTER SIX MONTHS. BUT, UM, THEY WERE SO UPSET THAT, UH, THEY CAME BACK. THAT WAS A YEAR AGO. AND LOOK AT THEM ` THEY'RE STILL DANCING. # YOUR LOVE'S GOT ME SO CRAZY RIGHT NOW. # SO, AS WE GET OLDER, WE SHOULDN'T TAKE THE FOOT OFF THE GAS. IN FACT, IF ANYTHING, WE SHOULD BE MORE ACTIVE FROM OUR 30S ONWARDS. AND DANCING IS ONE OF THE BEST EXERCISES WE CAN DO TO HELP US STAY YOUNG. # UH-OH, UH-OH, UH-OH, OH, NO, NO. UH-OH, UH-OH, UH-OH, OH, NO, NO. # (SURVIVOR'S 'EYE OF THE TIGER') CHRIS: I'M CERTAINLY NO DANCER. I'VE GOT TWO LEFT FEET. BUT I DO LOVE GETTING OUT TO JOG. THIS SHOULD GO SOME WAY TO TACKLING MY MAIN PROBLEM OF STRESS, WHICH IS AGEING ME FIVE YEARS FASTER THAN I SHOULD BE. AND I'M NOT ALONE. IN OUR MODERN, HECTIC WORLD, 30% OF US COMPLAIN OF BEING OVERLY STRESSED. AND STRESS CAN BE VERY DAMAGING. WHEN OUR BODY'S STRESSED, THE ADRENAL GLANDS ON TOP OF OUR KIDNEYS RELEASE A POWERFUL HORMONE CALLED CORTISOL. IT'S ESSENTIAL TO HAVE SOME CORTISOL, BUT TOO MUCH STRESS THROWS THE LEVELS OUT OF KILTER. (OMINOUS MUSIC) OVER TIME, AN EXCESS WEAKENS MUSCLES, DEGRADES BONES AND CAN SHORTEN YOUR LIFE BY UP TO FIVE YEARS. (GENTLE MUSIC) # NOBODY KNOWS ME. # THAT'S WHY WE SHOULD ALL TRY TO REDUCE STRESS. I'VE BEEN FORCING MYSELF TO WORK LESS AND SWITCH OFF WHEN I CAN. YOGA HELPS ME UNWIND. BUT YOGA'S NOT FOR EVERYONE. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE IN AN UNUSUAL WAY TO RELAX IN ONE OF OUR MOST STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS ` WHERE WE WORK. (DOG BARKS) THE COMPANY I'M VISITING HERE NEAR OXFORD HAS A NOVEL WAY OF DEALING WITH STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE. IN ORDER TO KEEP THEIR WORKFORCE CALM, THEY ALLOW THEM TO BRING THEIR PETS INTO THE OFFICE. # NOW I WANNA BE YOUR DOG. # NOW I WANNA BE YOUR DOG. THIS CHARITY REHOMES STRAY DOGS, SO THE EMPLOYEES ARE ALREADY PET LOVERS. BUT THEY'RE ALSO CONVINCED THAT HAVING THEIR DOGS AT WORK LOWERS STRESS AND MAKES THEM MORE PRODUCTIVE. # WELL, COME ON! SOME DAYS, AS MANY AS 10 DOGS CLOCK IN. THIS IS MAISIE, AND MAISIE IS 5 YEARS OLD. THIS IS DIDDY, AND DIDDY'S A LURCHER, AND HE'S 8 YEARS OLD. THIS IS PIPPIN. HE'S 7 YEARS OLD, AND HE'S A RED FOX LABRADOR. SHE'S JUST GENERALLY A VERY HAPPY DOG, SO SHE JUST MAKES YOU FEEL QUITE RELAXED. IT'S QUITE RELAXING TO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU'RE UNDER STRESS, YOU CAN JUST LOOK DOWN, HAVE A QUICK CUDDLE. IF I'M IN THE OFFICE ALL DAY AT MY DESK, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT YOU HAVE SCREEN BREAKS, IT'S IMPORTANT YOU GET OUT AND GET SOME FRESH AIR AT LUNCH, AND HAVING DIDDY THERE MAKES ME DO THAT. BUT DOES HAVING THEIR PET WITH THEM REALLY REDUCE STRESS? I WANT TO PUT THIS TO THE TEST. I'M GOING TO DELIBERATELY STRESS THE DOG OWNERS BY MAKING THEM DO TOUGH MENTAL ARITHMETIC, FIRST WITHOUT THEIR DOG, THEN AGAIN WITH THEIR DOG. STRESS CAUSES BLOOD PRESSURE TO RISE, SO WE'LL MONITOR HOW IT CHANGES THROUGHOUT. HI, PHYLLIS, JUST HAVE A SEAT. THANK YOU. HI, GEMMA. HI, CARRIE. HAVE A SEAT. SO THIS IS A MATHS TEST. WE WANT YOU TO COUNT BACKWARDS FROM 1000 IN UNITS OF SEVEN. AND I WANT YOU TO DO IT AT A GOOD PACE. IF YOU HESITATE OR MAKE A MISTAKE, WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING, OK? OK. ARE YOU NERVOUS? I AM NERVOUS, YEAH. START STOPWATCH. TEST STARTS NOW. 1000. 993. 986. (LAUGHS) 'THEY DON'T KNOW THE COUNTING HAS NO OTHER PURPOSE THAN TO INDUCE STRESS. 'I'VE NO INTEREST IN THEIR ARITHMETIC.' (SIGHS) NINE HUNDRED AND... (LAUGHS) SAID TOO MANY NUMBERS NOW. 'SURE ENOUGH, ALL THREE START TO SHOW VISUAL SIGNS OF STRESS.' CAN YOU START AGAIN, PLEASE? 'AND THEIR BLOOD PRESSURE RISES DRAMATICALLY.' THAT'S PUTTING PRESSURE ON ME. (LAUGHS) THAT WAS HORRIBLE! ALL I COULD THINK IS MY DAD GOING, I'VE PAID SO MUCH MONEY FOR YOUR UNIVERSITY DEGREE.' (LAUGHS) CAN I ASK YOU TO START AGAIN? (SIGHS) CAN YOU START AGAIN? (SIGHS) (TIMER BLARES) YOU'RE HALFWAY THROUGH. WHAT? WE'VE GOT A SECOND TEST. VERY SIMILAR TEST. EIGHT MINUTES LONG. OH NO. AND THIS TIME YOU'VE GOT TO COUNT BACK FROM 998 IN SEVENS. 'WE'VE ONE MORE SURPRISE.' SO NOW WE'RE GONNA DO THE TEST AGAIN` SORRY, MAISIE'S LOOKING FOR YOU. OH. HELLO. HERE'S HIS LEAD. OK. WHO'S THIS? THIS IS MY MATHS GENIUS HERE, DIDDY. SO NO CONFERRING WITH DIDDY. OK. PIP! HELLO! (LAUGHS) 'THEY'VE NO IDEA THEIR DOGS ARE PART OF THE TEST.' 998. 991. 986. (JAUNTY MUSIC) THE TEST WORKED REALLY WELL. THEIR BLOOD PRESSURE DROOPED CONSIDERABLY AS SOON AS THE DOGS ARRIVED AND OVERALL WAS 10% LOWER. IT EVEN HELPED THEIR ARITHMETIC. 907. 900. 893. (TIMER BLARES) YAY. (LAUGHS) 'WE CAN NOW REVEAL TO THEM THAT THE TEST WAS REALLY ABOUT THEIR DOGS.' FOR ME, SEEING HIM COME INTO THE ROOM WHEN I'M UNDER PRESSURE ` I WAS REALLY QUITE RELIEVED TO SEE HIM. COS HE COULD JUST TAKE SOME OF MY STRESS AWAY, SO IT'S NICE TO SEE HIM. I'M NOT GOOD AT MATHS, AND THAT WAS REALLY QUITE TOUGH. BUT I DID THINK WHEN MAISIE WALKED IN, I REMEMBERED THE PATTERN OF THE NUMBERS BETTER. 872. IT'S LOVELY THAT WE GOT A RESULT WITH MY RATHER CASUALLY EXECUTED TRIAL OF THREE PEOPLE. BUT, OF COURSE, THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT THAT RESULT MIRRORS THE RESULTS THAT MUCH LARGER STUDIES WITH MANY, MANY MORE PARTICIPANTS RUN BY PROPER SCIENTISTS IN LAB CONDITIONS HAVE ALREADY SHOWN. # NOW I WANT TO BE YOUR DOG. # SO TO HELP STAY YOUNG, YOU SHOULD FIND YOUR OWN WAY TO KEEP STRESS IN CHECK. THREE STRESS BUSTERS DOCTORS RECOMMEND ARE EXERCISE, MEDITATION AND SIMPLY 'ME TIME'. (ROCK MUSIC) # WELL, COME ON! # 1 (NOUVELLE VAGUE'S 'EVER FALLEN IN LOVE') IT'S NOT JUST WHAT WE DO PHYSICALLY THAT CAN HELP US FIGHT AGEING. SCIENTISTS KNOW THAT MENTAL ATTITUDE CAN HAVE A BIG EFFECT TOO. TO EXPERIENCE IT FOR MYSELF, I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING I'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. # ...FALLEN IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE? EVER FALLEN IN LOVE, IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE? WITH THE HELP OF SOME HOLLYWOOD-STYLE MAKE-UP, I'M GOING TO AGE FROM 36 TO OVER 80 YEARS OLD IN JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS. # LA, LA, LA. # LA, LA, LA. # LA. # I LOOK OLD, DON'T I? IT'S SO CONVINCING. AND I` I'M SURE THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO LOOK LIKE. I THINK THE NICE THING IS, LIKE, IT'S NOT` IT'S NOT HORRIFYING, IS IT? OR AT LEAST IT ISN'T FOR ME. I THOUGHT I'D HATE IT. 'I'M GETTING READY TO GO OUT AND ABOUT TO SEE IF PEOPLE REACT DIFFERENTLY TO ME NOW 'I'M AN OLD MAN.' (UPBEAT MUSIC) (CHUCKLES) I LOOK LIKE DONALD TRUMP. FIRST, TO TEST WHETHER MY MAKEOVER IS CONVINCING, I'LL TRY TO FOOL SOMEONE WHO SHOULD KNOW ME WELL, MY DAD. YAY! SO I'M ASSUMING... ARE YOU ANTHONY? YES. RIGHT. YOU'RE CHRIS' DAD. I'M CLAIRE. CLAIRE. GOOD TO SEE YOU. VERY NICE TO MEET YOU. HELLO. CHRIS WILL BE HERE PROBABLY IN THE NEXT 10 MINUTES OR SOMETHING? HE'S GONNA` HI, I'M ANTHONY. GRUFFLY: HAVE WE MET? WE MIGHT'VE. YOU'RE CHRIS' FATHER? THAT'S IT. AND WHAT'S THAT LIKE? THAT'S GREAT. GOOD ENTERTAINMENT. AND- AND WHY ARE YOU HERE? I'M HERE TO FILM WITH CHRIS. HE'S GONNA COME UP. LIKE, IT'S SORT OF SPONTANEOUS. AND START TALKING TO US ABOUT BEING OLD. NORMAL VOICE: AND WHAT'S IT LIKE BEING OLD? I QUITE LIKE IT. DO YOU? YEAH. (CHUCKLES) CAN YOU NOT HEAR MY VOICE? YES! CAN YOU NOT`? YOU DON'T RECOGNISE ME? OH, THAT'S FANTASTIC. ARE YOU`? WERE YOU JUST GOING ALONG WITH IT? OH, NO, I DIDN'T GET IT AT ALL. DO YOU GET IT NOW? YEAH. THAT'S FANTASTIC. (LAUGHS) I DIDN'T THINK I'D FOOL YOU FOR A SECOND. NO, YOU ABSOLUTELY DID. GOD, THAT IS SO ODD. (LAUGHS) 'WELL, MY DISGUISE CERTAINLY WORKS. 'AND I'M ALSO HEARTENED BY MY DAD'S UPBEAT APPROACH TO OLD AGE. 'AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR. 'BECAUSE RECENT STUDIES HAVE FOUND THAT SUCH OPTIMISM CAN ACTUALLY ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE.' THERE'S GOOD EVIDENCE THAT IF YOU'RE AN OLDER PERSON WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT BEING THE AGE YOU ARE, THAT THAT MAY HELP YOU LIVE UP TO SEVEN YEARS LONGER, NOT TRIVIAL. FURTHERMORE, IF YOU'RE A YOUNG PERSON WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT GROWING OLDER, THAT CAN HALVE YOUR RISK OF A HEART ATTACK. (QUIRKY MUSIC) SO SIMPLY BEING UPBEAT CAN MAKE YOU AGE MORE HEALTHILY. BUT HOW WE FEEL ABOUT OURSELVES IS HUGE AFFECTED BY HOW OTHER PEOPLE TREAT US. NOW I WANT TO SEE HOW PEOPLE RESPOND TO ME AS AN OLDIE. (QUIRKY MUSIC CONTINUES) PEOPLE ARE HAPPILY GETTING OUT OF MY WAY ON THE STAIRS,... SORRY. SORRY. ...AND NO ONE'S BARGING PAST ME ON THE STREET. AND EVEN WHEN I PROVOKE BUSES,... (BRAKES SQUEAL SOFTLY) ...I DON'T GET SHOUTED AT. I THINK THIS GUY WOULD HAVE TRIED TO RUN ME OVER, WHATEVER MY AGE. (ENGINE REVS) AND I'VE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD ON THE TUBE. ALL IN ALL, MY DAY AS AN OLD MAN HAS MADE ME RATHER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT MY OLDER SELF. AND FEW PEOPLE I KNOW ARE MORE UPBEAT ABOUT AGEING THAN A CERTAIN 71-YEAR-OLD. (LAUGHS) NOW YOU'RE SHOWING OFF! (LAUGHS) NOTHING YOU COULDN'T DO! LOOK AT YOU! WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT DO YOU THINK? LOOK AT YOU! WELL, I HAVE TO SAY` GENTLE. HOLD ME GENTLY. HOLD YOU GENT` OH. OH, GOODNESS, GOTTA LOOK AFTER YOU, HAVE I? AGE BECOMES YOU. DO YOU THINK SO? YOU HAVE AGED... HANDSOMELY. SO HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW? AT 36 HEADING TOWARDS BEING... 80 AND 90. I'M DREADING IT A LOT LESS THAN MAYBE I THOUGHT I WOULD. GOOD! WELL, MY DAD WAS REALLY GOOD. HE JUST SAID HE LIKED BEING OLD. AND I THINK MOST OF THE PEOPLE I'M CLOSE TO WHO ARE... NOT OLD, BUT OLDER, KINDA FEEL THE SAME WAY. I THINK IF YOU CAN BE IN YOUR 70S OR YOUR 80S OR EVEN YOUR 90S AND YOU'VE STILL GOT COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND YOU'RE STILL RELATIVELY FIT AND AGILE AND ABLE, THEN I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANYTHING TO BE AFRAID OF IN OLD AGE. I THINK IT'S TIME TO GET IT OFF. HOW DO WE DO THIS? WELL, I` I DON'T EXACTLY KNOW. AT THE BACK? NOW, IS THIS GOING TO HURT? WELL, I THINK IT WILL A LITTLE BIT. GENTLY, GENTLY, GENTLY, GENTLY. HOW ARE WE DOING? AH. BITS STILL STUCK TO YOU. I THINK YOU'RE STARTING TO PEEL OFF BITS THAT ARE ACTUALLY ME. TINY, TINY, TINY BIT THERE. HOW'S THAT? OH, THAT FEELS GOOD. I MUST SAY... I BET IT DOES. SO EVERY MORNING WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR AND YOU SHAVE AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN STORE. WHAT'S IN STORE. AND I'M NOT DREADING IT. THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S GOOD. 1 ANGELA: SO FAR, WE'VE HOMED IN ON JUST SOME OF THE KEY WAYS TO HELP YOU STAY YOUNG. THERE ARE SIMPLE DIET CHANGES, LIKE EATING LESS MEAT AND MORE NUTS, AND FOR ME, EXTRA LENTILS AND INULIN. REDUCING STRESS IS AN IMPORTANT GOAL. AND I WAS ESPECIALLY PLEASED TO FIND OUT THAT MY FAVOURITE ACTIVITY ` DANCING ` REALLY DOES WORK TO HOLD BACK MUSCLE DECLINE. BUT ON THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE, RESEARCHERS ARE EXPLORING MORE RADICAL WAYS TO TACKLE AGEING. FOR THE FINAL STOP AROUND THE WORLD, WE'VE COME TO A REMOTE PART OF SOUTH AMERICA. HERE IN A SMALL TOWN IN ECUADOR, SCIENCE MIGHT'VE DISCOVERED THE CURE TO AGEING ITSELF. THIS YOUNG MAN, JANNICK CASTILLO, IS AGEING FAR SLOWER THAN THE REST OF US. TODAY HE'S LEAVING HIS FAMILY TO MAKE THE SEVEN-HOUR JOURNEY TO THE CAPITAL, QUITO. HE MAY LOOK LIKE A YOUNG CHILD, BUT HE'S ACTUALLY 17 YEARS OLD. JANNICK HAS LARON SYNDROME, A RARE MEDICAL CONDITION CAUSED BY A GENETIC MUTATION WHICH STOPS HIM FROM GROWING NORMALLY. SCIENTISTS HOPE THAT PEOPLE LIKE JANNICK COULD HOLD THE ANSWER TO CURE AGEING FOR THE REST OF US. AND HE'S KEEN TO HELP. (GENTLE MUSIC) IN QUITO, HE'S MEETING TWO PIONEERING SCIENTISTS, DR JAIME GUEVARA AND PROFESSOR VALTER D LONGO, DIRECTOR OF THE LONGEVITY INSTITUTE IN LOS ANGELES. BETWEEN THEM, THEY'VE BEEN STUDYING PEOPLE WITH THIS EXTREMELY RARE CONDITION FOR OVER 20 YEARS. LARON SYNDROME IS ONE OF THE RAREST CONDITIONS IN THE WORLD. THERE'S ABOUT 350 AROUND THE WORLD, AND ONE-THIRD ARE LOCATED IN THIS SOUTHERN ECUADOR, TWO PROVINCES ` THE PROVINCE OF LOJA AND THE PROVINCE OF EL ORO. JAMIE REALISED THAT DESPITE MAKING THEM VERY SHORT, THE SYNDROME HAS A REMARKABLE BENEFIT ` PEOPLE WITH LARON NEVER SEEM TO GET THE MAJOR DISEASES OF AGEING, SUCH AS CANCER AND DIABETES. CANCER AND DIABETES ARE TWO OF THE BIGGEST KILLERS IN OLD AGE. JAMIE AND HIS COLLABORATOR VALTER D LONGO WANT TO FIND OUT WHY PEOPLE WITH LARON ARE VIRTUALLY IMMUNE. WE FIRST ESTABLISHED THAT THEY WERE NOT DEVELOPING CANCER, AND THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE A MECHANISM FOR WHY THIS HAPPENED AND THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED WORKING ON THEIR BLOOD. JAMIE AND VALTER REGULARLY TEST THE BLOOD OF 50 PEOPLE WITH LARON SYNDROME, AND IN IT, THEY FOUND SOMETHING REMARKABLE. THE BLOOD CONTAINS VERY LITTLE OF A PARTICULAR GROWTH FACTOR. ONE THAT SLOWS DOWN THE ENTIRE AGEING PROCESS. THIS IS WHY JANNICK LOOKS SO MUCH YOUNGER THAN HIS ACTUAL AGE OF 17. IN THE REST OF US, THE PRESENCE OF THIS GROWTH FACTOR IS WHAT MAKES US AGE. (EXCITED CHATTER IN SPANISH) SCIENTISTS LIKE VALTER AND JAMIE NOW PLAN TO PRODUCE A MEDICINE THAT WILL RECREATE THE AGE-DELAYING BENEFITS OF LARON. IF OLD AGE ITSELF CAN BE CURED, THEN WE WON'T GET THE DISEASES THAT SO OFTEN COME ALONG WITH IT. (LAUGHTER) IF YOU COMPLETELY CURE CANCER, THIS ONLY EXTENDS THE HUMAN LIFESPAN BY THREE OR FOUR YEARS, RIGHT? AND WHY? BECAUSE RIGHT AFTER YOU DON'T DIE OF CANCER, YOU'RE GONNA DIE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES OR DIABETES OR ALZHEIMER'S, ETC, ETC. SO IT'S MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE TO GO AFTER THE AGEING PROCESS ITSELF, COS THIS CAN HAVE A VERY WIDE EFFECT. CHRIS: SO A GOAL OF MODERN SCIENCE IS TO CREATE A MEDICINE THAT WILL KEEP ALL OF US YOUNGER AND HEALTHIER FOR LONGER. AND IT'S CLOSER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK. THIS MAY SOUND LIKE SCIENCE FICTION, BUT I HAVE WITH ME, DISSOLVED IN WATER, A DRUG CALLED RAPAMYCIN. YEAH. SO THIS IS A DRUG THAT MIMICS THOSE EFFECTS OF LARON SYNDROME. AND IT'S AN ANTI-AGEING DRUG. AND IN MICE, IT EXTENDS THE LIFE OF MICE BY ABOUT 15%. SO THIS IS THE ELIXIR OF LIFE? WELL, IF YOU'RE A MOUSE, IT IS THE ELIXIR OF LIFE. IF YOU'RE A HUMAN BEING? WELL, WE DON'T KNOW. WE HAVEN'T DONE AN AGEING TRIAL IN HUMANS YET. THE AGEING SCIENTISTS WOULD SAY THAT DISEASES OF AGEING ALL HAVE THE SAME BASIC ROOT CAUSES. AND THAT IF YOU TARGET AGEING, YOU WILL PREVENT ARTHRITIS, CANCER, HEART DISEASE. SO THE IDEA IS YOU WILL LIVE LONGER AND YOU WILL LIVE BETTER. SO MY QUESTION IS ` IF THIS GETS TO THE HUMAN MARKET, IS THIS IS A PILL YOU'LL BE TAKING? (LAUGHS) YOU'RE LOOKING REALLY SCEPTICAL. BECAUSE I ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN'T ALWAYS TAKE THE PHARMACEUTICAL ROUTE. YOU HAVE TO, AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE, TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR WELL-BEING AND YOUR AGEING, DOING THINGS LIKE EATING WELL, TAKING EXERCISE. THIS IS CUTTING OUT THE NEED TO DO ALL THAT. I GET FUN OUT OF SOCIALISING, DANCING, PLAYING TENNIS. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF FUN SITTING AT HOME WITH A TELLY, A CHEESEBURGER AND A PILL. (LAUGHS) I MEAN, WHEN YOU CAST IT LIKE THAT, I'M THINKING, 'ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW WHAT? IT DOESN'T SOUND TOO BAD.' (LAUGHS) CHEESEBURGER AND A PILL. EACH TO HIS OWN. WHATEVER IT TAKES.